As stated in the Caitanya-caritāmṛta (CC Antya 7.11):
- kali-kālera dharma—kṛṣṇa-nāma-saṅkīrtana
- kṛṣṇa-śakti vinā nahe tāra pravartana
Unless one is empowered by the Supreme Personality of Godhead, Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu, one cannot spread the holy names of the Hare Kṛṣṇa mahā-mantra throughout the world. Persons who do so are empowered. Therefore they are sometimes called āveśa-avatāras, or empowered incarnations, for they are endowed with the power of Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu.